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A little more than three months ago, Major League Soccer announced their decision to expand to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. However, they chose not to work with the Wilf family, rather deciding to go with a group headed by Bill McGuire (the current owner of Minnesota United FC). The group also includes the Pohlad family, which owns the Minnesota Twins, and Minnesota Timberwolves' owner Glen Taylor.
The bid submitted by that group was contingent on getting approval for a new soccer-only downtown stadium by 1 July, a condition placed on the deal by Major League Soccer. The group was hoping to come to an agreement with the Minnesota legislature not to secure public funding, but rather to gain a series of tax breaks for the new facility. However, the Minnesota legislature's most recent session has adjourned, and with 1 July just three days away, it doesn't appear as though the group is going to be able to meet MLS' deadline.
So, what now?
Well, according to MLS Multiplex, Major League Soccer could yank Minnesota's MLS bid. . .or, at least, take it away from the group that it was awarded to. If that were to happen, and the Wilf family was so inclined, they could jump back into the fray to work with MLS and say, "Hey, we've got a beautiful new facility already 60% done, and it will be finished by the time MLS wants to start play here."
It might have just been the particular sources I was looking at around the time that the announcement was made, but it seemed to me that much of the Twin Cities' soccer community was pretty happy that the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil Wilf family wasn't going to be involved with the area's Major League Soccer team because. . .well, because reasons, I suppose. But, if the current group can't get something organized in very short order. . .or, at the very least, work something out with Major League Soccer. . .it looks like the new Vikings' stadium might be the most realistic option.
We'll be keeping an eye on this story with the deadline approaching this week.